128 TREATMENT OF SMALL-POX BY VACCINATION.

operations submitted to them some ten months ago. W(

are bound, however, to record that their difficulties havebeen very great, as they have no rating powerp, and thedistricts represented have various and diverging interests,overriding sanitary interests most completely. This by the

way. The chief purport of these remarks is to urge actionon the part of all port and ’° riparian" authorities, pendingthe completion and the passing of the Public Health Bill.

Hu ’11, Grimsby, the Tyne, and other eastern ports, have gottheir machinery, and have only to keep it in good workingorder; for hospitals as well as medical inspectors exist atthese ports, as also at Lynn, Goole, Hartlepool, Ipswich,Harwich, Lowestoft, Scarborough, Yarmouth, and Whitby.Liverpool appears to be in a transition state, but has madevery good provisional arrangements with Mr. REGINALDHARRISON, the Customs medical officer, as to the inspectionof all suspected vessels. We take it, however, that the

Mersey is a very difficult river upon which to exercise

proper sanitary surveillance; but it must be remembered

that surveillance is imperatively necessary, because thereis a direct and constant trade with the southern ports ofRussia. The exertions of Mr. RADCLIFFE last year extended

also to the southern ports of England; and Southampton,Portsmouth, Dover, and Folkestone were protected, thoughonly provisionally. The present unsatisfactory state ofmatters in the port of London ought now to be quicklyremedied, for the Public Health Bill will become law in afew weeks; and, as the Thames Shipping Inspection Com-mittee suggested on Monday last, it is proper that the CityCorporation should at once take up the matter and com- mence work. For, as we have, at the tail of the session,succeeded in obtaining a Bill that ought to benefit the

metropolis very considerably, it can hardly be necessary atthis crisis to wait until the measure has received the Royalassent.

WE cannot say that we ever had any faith in the theoryadvanced by Mr. FURLEY that the hypodermic injection ofvaccine lymph was sufficient to arrest manifest small-

pox, and bring about the disappearance of the eruption andthe cure of the patient. Our readers will remember that

Mr. FURLEY maintained that while vaccination in the or-

dinary way was almost inoperative in adults in arrestingthe disease, as had been taught by all the authorities onthe subject, yet that if done in the way of a copious hypo-dermic injection of lymph, the effect was to cut short

the disease. Our reason for doubting this propositionwas partly because it was too good to be true, but chieflybecause it seemed so amply contradicted by the frequentinstances in which vaccinia and variola have gone on paripassu. And we are bound to add that the cases adduced

by Mr. FURLEY were quite Inadequate to support his bold

theory. With a fine simplicity he gave only three cases,and those very imperfectly reported, in his paper publishedin our columns to illustrate the effect of his treatment

in the three different periods of life-infancy, childhood,and manhood. An exacting critic might not unreasonablyhave refused to admit that two out of the three were cer-

tainly cases of small-pox at all. Nevertheless, though not

having the sentiment of faith in regard to Mr. FURLEY’S

doctrine, we had that of hope; and we very cheerfully in-serted his paper with the feeling that the sooner this theorywaF tested and disposed of the better.’ Dr. GRIEVE, of the

Hampstead Smal1-pox Hospital, intimated to us his inten.tion of applying it in several cases. We made it our busi-

ness to see the operation in four or five of these. And the

results are now before our readers in the shape of carefullynoted clinical histories. We very much regret that theseare not such as to encourage a further trial of the treat-

ment. There were in all seven cases. In not one did the

course of the disease seem favourably modified. Two of £

the cases died. And in one of these there were all the

symptoms of pyæmia, with swelling and fluctuation overthe whole of the anterior surface of the right arm; and itis difficult to doubt that the fatal issue was connected withthe operation. The other fatal case was of a hsemorrhagiocharacter, and the site of operation was the seat of a patchof ecchymosis of the size of a florin. In another case therewas very slight local result, but there were inflammatoryswellings in two places. In another case the course of the

disease was ordinary, and the local symptoms of the ope-ration were slight. In another (Case 5) the patient wasill from the beginning, and though having no serious

swelling or trouble at the seat of operation, had a suc-cession of abscesses j one over the sacrum, which yieldedeight ounces of pus. In Case 6 there was a natural pro-

gress of the disease, with a rather troublesome local irri-tation from the injection. In Case 7 there was a mild

attack of small-pox, with a very extensive suppurativeinflammation of the right arm, having its beginning atthe seat of the injection. Perhaps Mr. FURLEY may objectthat the cases were too far advanced for his treatment*

Three were in the vesicular stage, and one in the pustular.But unless he can bring forward very convincing counter-evidence, the profession will feel that the hypodermic in-

jection of lymph in small-pox is both a useless and a

risky procedure. The skin and subcutaneous tissues are

notoriously by disease rendered prone to low inflammatorystates, and the hypodermic injection seems to intensifythis risk, and to confer no corresponding advantage.

Medical Annotations."Ne quid nimis."

SUNSTROKE.

THE deaths at New York from sunstroke have reached

alarming proportions, and the mortality among the childrenfrom diseases incidental to childhood, but excited by thegreat beat, is represented as very lamentable. Our Aineri-can cousins are not only a more excitable race than our-selves, but they live in a much more excitable climate, theeffects of which are not diminished by the practice toocommon among them of having recourse to stimulants ii2

sma,ll quantities, prepared in a variety of ways, and dis-

gnised under various names. If we remember arigbt, itwa.s Sir Charles Napier who explained his exemption fromsunstroke by declaring that the sun found no alty of alcoholin his brains. Attacks of sunstroke are not, however, byany means exclusively confined to intemperate persons.Still alcohol is one, and a powerful one, among the pre-disposing causes to heat-apoplexy.

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According to all accounts, the heat has been unusuallysevere in tndia during the present season; and, as a con-

sequence, the cases of heat-apoplexy have been common.Happily, we know very little of this disease in this country;but at the recent review of the troops at Aldershot by HerMajesty a soldier was conveyed to hospital with well-marked symptoms of sunstroke. And if the presentextreme heat continues to prevail, we may expect manyother occurrences of a similar kind.

Dr. Horatio C. Wood, jun., has recently published in

America an excellent paper on the subject of sunstroke,founded upon some observations and experiments under-taken by him with the view of elucidating the phenomena.We are indebted to the Philadelphia Medical Times for ourinformation concerning this paper. After showing that incases of sunstroke the blood undergoes no primary changesin its physiological or chemical properties, Dr. Wood’s nextstep was to ascertain why the heart and muscles are foundso rigid after death from sunstroke, and what it is thatreally kills in this affection. By subjecting myosine todifferent temperatures, he found that this substance coagu-lated with great rapidity from 108° to 115° F., and the tem-

perature of the body in cases of sunstroke often reaches110°F. at the time of death. But the heart is found tocontinue to beat in animals dead of sunstroke-at any ratedead in the sense that they had ceased to respire. The

rigidity of the cardiac muscles then is a post-, and not anante-mortem, phenomenon. As some experiments by Dr.Wood proved that heat applied to a nerve trunk would notdestroy its conducting power, his further investigation wasdirected to the action of heat on the nerve centres. Bysome ingenious appliances, hot water was made to circulateover the surface of an animal’s head, and it was found thatsudden insensibility, and ultimately death from asphyxia,could always be induced at certain temperatures. A braintemperature of from 112° to 114° was fatal to a cat, and oneof 114° to 117° to a rabbit. Owing to the possession of amore highly organised brain, it is probable that in man aless degree of heat would produce the same set of sym-ptoms. The mechanism of an attack of sunstroke then,according to Dr. Wood, is that "under the influence of ex-ternal heat the temperature of the body rises until at lasta point is reached at which the heat paralyses, by over-stimulation, the controlling centre regulating animal heat;then a sudden additional rise of temperature, with a cor-responding increase in the severity of the symptoms,occurs."Of course cold is the remedy, and cold water the readiest

way of applying it. It is a great mistake to suppose thatthese cases are commonly due to the action of the direct

rays of the sun, for in India, as in America, attacks are veryfrequent at night. One of the main things to be attendedto is, as we have said before, the function of the skin bythe daily use of the bath. Much of the insanity in ourarmy arises among soldiers serving in India who have beenexposed to sunstroke, and the same appears to be the caseamong the residents of New York.

UNCERTIFIED CAUSES OF DEATH.

THE Royal Sanitary Commissioners, with reference to

that branch of their inquiry which related to the registra-tion of births and deaths, came to the conclusion that

"every death should be registered, either on the certificateof a qualified medical practitioner or on the verdict of acoroner’a inquest." They were of opinion that a deathwhose cause was not vouched for by a competent authoritywas "not only a fact lost to the statistics on which a partof the study of the public health is based, but a great op- portunity for fraud and crime." And to obviate all this,

they recommended that where there is no medical at-

tendant, or where, from any reason, the medical attendantobjects to certify the cause of death, the medical officer of £health should be authorised to inquire into the circumstancesrelating to the death, and thereupon either to give a cer-tificate of the cause, or, if there were anything suspicious inthe case, to inform the coroner of it. Unless the Com-missioners had determined to disregard the almost unani-mous opinion of the witnesses most competent to advisethem on this subject, they could not have come to a con-clusion different from that above referred to. The Govern-

ment, however, have not thought proper to follow theadvice of the Commission. The Registration Acts Amend-ment Bill, now before the House of Commons, simply pro-vides that, where no medical certificate of the cause of £death is forthcoming, "the registrar, after ascerta,ining tohis own satisfaction that there is a reasonable cause for the

non-production of such certificate, shall, before registeringthe death, obtain from two of the persons required by thisAct to give notice of such death, information to the best of £their knowledge and belief of the cause of such death, andof the particulars required to be registered concerning thesame; and such two persons shall, when required by theregistrar, jointly give to the registrar such information,and sign the entry of death in the register book."

Clearly this procedure will not remedy the defects in themortality statistics referred to by the Sanitary Commis-sioners ; and it is very doubtful whether it will have mucheffect in putting an end to whatever crime or fraud prevailsnow, seeing that the informants under the clause wouldcommonly be the very persons who might have an object ingiving false information. It has been objected to the pro-posal that no death should be registered without its causebeing properly certified, that such would inflict a greathardship upon people in the more remote and sparselypopulated parts of the country, where it would in somecases lead to the undue retention of dead bodies, and in allwould give the relatives of the deceased unnecessarytrouble. If it had been shown that either of these draw-backs is inseparable from the plan of universa.1 medical

certification, and that the proportion of cases in which suchdrawbacks would be felt would be at all considerable, weshould admit the objection to be valid. But there is no

proof or attempted proof on either of these points, notwith-standing that the onus of proof lies with the objectors. Itis not denied that the certification of the causes of death isessential to the proper working of a death-registrationsystem, and it would have been only conformable to theprinciple always presumed as the basis of legislation in thiscountry-naniely, that the interests of the few must giveway to those of the majority,-if the Registration ActsAmendment Bill had insisted upon the certification beingmade universal.

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THE LONDON WATER COMPANIES AND THEBOARD OF TRADE.

WE have so often been under the disagreeable necessityof censuring the Board of Trade for its extreme unwilling-ness to exercise the powers conferred upon it by the Met-ro-polis Water Acts for keeping the water companies up tothe mark of their legal obligations in dealing with the

public, that it is with a lively satisfaction we find that thosepowers are henceforth to be entrusted to other hands. Mr.

Kay-Shuttleworth has succeeded in carrying, by a majority of 177, an amendment in the Public Health Bill wherebythe Local Government Board is in future to be substituted for the Board of Trade in all such matters of supervision asa,re provided for in the M4-tropolis Wa.tpr Acts of 1852 and1871, as well as in the Alkali Act of 1863. Mr. Stansfeld

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aeted most wisely in accepting this amendment, which ofitself would be sufficient to make his Bill acceptable as asubstantial piece of sanitary legislation. And Mr. Kay-Shuttleworth will, we hope, be encouraged by his successthus far to make next session an effort to rescue London al-

together from the power of the water companies. There is

not a doubt that the metropolis could get a constant supplyof water at a much cheaper rate than it has to pay for thepresent intermittent supply if the entire supply were

vested, as it ought to be and eventually must be, in onemetropolitan authority. The water companies cannot com-plain ; they have had a fair field and plenty of favour, andwith what result let them read in the report of the discus-sion in the House of Commons on Mr. Kay-Shuttleworth’samendment last week. The plea of those who on formeroccasions have successfully fought the battles of the com-panies was that they had had no notice of the amendment;but this plea was rejected, and when the decision was takenonly 16 members, out of more than 200, followed the corn-panies’ representatives into the lobby. The scarcity inBermondsey has done more than any amount of argumentor reasoning could have done to precipitate the final settle-ment of the question of the London water-supply. And in

the meanwhile we shall be much mistaken if the companiesdo not find the Local Government Board less easy to satisfythan they did the Board of Trade.

DR. PETTICREW ON THE CIRCULATION.

TuE eleventh lecture on 11 The Physiology of the Circu-lation in Plants, in the Lower Animals, and in Man,"was devoted by Dr. Pettigrew to the great vessels andvalves concerned in the circulation of animals. The lec-turer described the structure and uses of the veins and

arteries, and the relation which the valves bear to themand to the heart. He also described the structure and usesof the valves, and showed that in proportion as the circu-latory a,pparatus of an animal becomes complicated, so thevalves become more and more differentiated. The objectof the valves in every instance is to cause the blood totravel in a circle, and always in the same direction. When

the valves are diseased, particularly those of the heart,they become incompetent-i. e., they permit the blood totravel in a wrong direction, which is always a seriousmatter. The valves, the lecturer observed, may consist ofonly one segment, as in the smaller veins, or of thirty-sixsegments, a.s in the bulbus arteriosus of the American devil-fish (Cephalopterus giorna). The valves are formed on acommon type. They are all more or less semilunar inshape. In the veins the valves consist of from one to four

segments ; in the arteries, where they join the heart, usually of three ; in the heart (between the auricles andventricles), of two or three seagments, to which as manyaccessory segments may be added. The segments may ormay not be provided with tendinous cords (chords tendineæ).When tendinous cords are present, they are to preventeversion of the segments when pressure is applied to theblood for the purpose of sending it forward. The tendinouscords are only present when the valves are surrounded by,or in some way placed under, the influence of muscleswhich elongate and shorten or open and close. The ten-dinous cords first make their appearance in the bulbusarteriosus of the fish, which is a muscular structure which

opens and closes like the heart itself. They acquire theirfullest, development in the mitral and tricuspid valves ofthe mamma1ian heart. Between the tendinous cords as

they exist in the fish and as finally developed in the ma.m-mal there is an itinoite variety ; but in every instance-and this is the important, point-the valves are geared bythem to living and moving muscular tissue, which regulates

the amount of movement occurring in the valves. Somevalves regulate their own movements, and are for this pur-pose partly or wholly muscular-as, for example, the rightauriculo-ventricular valve of the bird. The movements ofthe venous and arterial valves are essentially mechanical,the segments of the valves being placed obliquely in thevessel, so that they permit the blood to pass through, butprevent its return. The movements of the mitral and tri-

cuspid valves, placed between the auricles and ventricles ofthe heart, are vito-mechanical. This is necessary, because

they are placed between actively contracting and expandingstructures (the auricles and ventricles), and because theapertures which they guard are widened when the heartopens, and narrowed when it closes. The lecturer gave a

very beautiful and novel explanation of the manner inwhich the mitral and tricuspid valves act. He stated thatthe segments of these valves are geared by the tendinouscords referred to above to fleshy columns (musculi papil-lares) situated in the interior of the heart. These columns,when the heart expands to receive its blood, elongate, andpermit the segments of the valves to float upon its surface,as the leaves of water-lilies on water. The moment theheart (ventricles) closes, the valves are shut, regurgitationbeing rendered impossible. As the closure becomes tighterand tighter, the fleshy columns shorten and drag the seg-ments of the valves in a downward direction, until theyform a dependent cone, which has the effect of diminishingthe heart at its base, until literally no blood remains in theheart. The mitral and tricuspid valves, therefore, rise andfall (like the diaphragm in the chest) when the heart opensand closes. Another point of peculiar interest was the formof the fleshy columns and ventricular cavities. These, thelecturer observed, were twisted to form conical screws. Asthe fleshy spiral columns project into the spiral ventricularcavities, it follows that between the columns there are twospiral depressions. These spiral depressions run from theapex of the heart to the bases of the segments of the mitraland tricuspid valves. They are filled with blood when theheart opens; and when it closes, the blood which they con-tain, and which is arranged in two spiral fluid columns, isforced in an upward direction in such a manner as to causethe segments of the mitral and tricuspid valves to rotateslightly, and screw and wedge into each other. When thevalves are screwed home, the aortic and pulmonic valvesare unscrewed and the blood projected along the mainvessels, very much as a bullet is projected from a Minierifle. The heart literally wrings out its blood by a screwingmovement, and in this movement the valves situated at thebase of the heart participate. The heart is screwed home

during the systole and unscrewed during the diastole. Dr.

Pettigrew bases these statements on actual dissections.The screwing movements of the heart can be seen duringlife ; and the lecturer performed an experiment with afreshheart, to show the screwing and unscrewing movement ofthe valves. The lecture was illustrated with a number of

original models and by a large number of diagrams.

SEWAGE UTILISATION.

GENERAL SCOTT aud Dr. Anderson have recently de-

livered lectures on their respective proposals for dealingwith sewage. The former we described last week, and,having inspected the works at Ealing, we are by no meanssatisfied with the result. General Scott pours into thesewers a mixture of lime and clay, in the proportion re-qtiired for the production of cement. In passing throughthe sewers, the lime mixes intimately with the sewage andapparently reduces the evolution of sewer gas. But thetunks at Ealing are much too sma.1) to secure perfect de-posit, and on the occasion of our inspection the effilleniï

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water was not fit to turn into a river. An examination ofthe dried deposit makes it very doubtful if any importantaddition has been made to the materials put into the sewers.It seems to us that General Scott has been misled by theanalysis which represents the loss on incineration after

drying at 140° F. as organic matter, and the inference thatit contributes materially to the combustion of the cement.We fear that in reality not less than half is basic water, andthat he will find the sewer deposit contributes very litt,leto the production of heat. We doubt, therefore, whetherthe General’s ingenious process will succeed.

Dr. Anderson’s lecture was extremely interesting, but, inspite of the encomium passed upon it by the President ofthe Institution of Civil Engineers, we doubt if it is calcu-

lated to remove the objections to this mode of dealing withsewage. Dr. Anderson adds crude alum and then lime tothe sewage, and the effect is to cause a very rapid coagula-tion of suspended matters; but Dr. Anderson did not suc-ceed in removing the odour of London sewage, and it is alame excuse to make, that the sewage of the Fleet-sewerwas of the very worst form, which we take leave to doubt,and that the persistent odour was due to the presence ofurea, which it certainly is not. The fact is that there is

no chemical or filtration process by which anyone has yetsucceeded in arresting the manurial elements of sewage,and Dr. Anderson only states the truth when he says it ishopeless to expect to manufacture a manure from sewagewhich can compete with the artificial manures now so muchin use. To our mind, the difficulties in the way of manu-facture are very great, and the margin of possible profitextremely small.

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THE PROJECTED COTTACE HOSPITAL ATMANSFIELD. ,

WE have received during the past week a variety of com-munications on this subject, and are glad to find that wewere mistaken in understanding the Mansfield Advertiser asadvocating a "Free" Dispensary. In another article onthe subject that journal contends that a real Piovident

Dispensary should be opened, and that in connexion withit there should be two rooms for the reception of accidents,or of such cases as were unfit to be removed to Nottingham.What still pnzzles us is that this scheme is offered as some-thing different from, and better than, the projected cottagehospital. We should say that the two rooms would form a

cottage hospital, and that to place the offices of a providentdispensary under the same roof would not hinder themfrom doing so. We are told, moreover, that there is a

cottage hospital a mile from Mansfield already; but we

presume this must be for the accommodation of some

populous hamlet or mining district, and that it cannot beavailable for Mansfield people. The worst argumentagainst the projected cottage hospital is founded on the factthat there is the county hospital at Nottingham, which oneletter-writer describes as "an establishment surrouuded byendless conveniences, baths, &c., with highly gifted medicalmen as attendants." Now we see no reason to doubc that

the medical men of Ma,nsfie1d are just as highly gifted asthose of Nottingham. But the Nottingham surgeons have forsome years gained a part of their experience and reputationby receiving and treating Mansfield patients ; and it woaldhave been better for Mansfield people if their own surgeonscould have kept these cases, and could have secured what-ever of experience or reputation was to be obtained fromthem. Mansfield is a busy little town, and, quà hospital, itis quite strong enough to run alone. We advise the inha.

bitants to support their own hospital, to reap all the avail-able benefit from it, and to leave the Nottingham people toSupport theirs. While M.ans6.t:ld has no hospital, its middle-

class inhabitants will be likely to have to send to Notting-ham for a consultant in any surgical difficulty or emergency.When it has a hospital, the Mansfield surgeons may pos-sibly be even better qualified than at present to deal withsuch cases; and at all events they will have an increasedhold on the confidence of the public, who will be aware ofthe good work done in the new institution. We think a

small hospital in a small town ought to be a source of un-mixed good; and we do not care whether it has two roomsor three, or whether it is together with or apart from thelocal provident dispensary.

HOMICIDAL IMPULSE.

THE case of John Jordan, a soldier, aged thirty-nine.,who was tried on the 18th inst., at Lewes, for the murderof a child by cutting its throat, and who was acquitted bythe jury on the score of insanity, is of great interest onmedical grounds, and is likely, we should think, to be oftenreferred to in courts of justice when similar cases are

sub judice. The facts of the case were briefly these. The

prisoner and another soldier, both gunners in the RoyalArtillery, were stationed at a lonely fort on the banks ofthe river Arun, at Climping, near Littlehampton. Thesetwo were under the immediate command of a bombardiernamed Semple, who, with his wife and children, also in-habited the fort.On Sunday, May 5th, the prisoner appeared to be on ex-

cellent terms with the Semples, went to church with themand took particular notice of the children (chatting tothem, &c.), and especially of the deceased child John.The prisoner dined with his fellow-soldier on that day.After dinner he read a novel for about half an hour, thenrose up, took a razor out of a box, went out, and in afew moments deliberately cut the throat of the child JohnSemple. One month before the murder the prisoner hadbeen placed under arrest for two da3s by Semple, becausehe had been absent all night without leave; and this factwas brought forward by the prosecutcrs as motive to thecrime. It was admitted that previous and subsequently tothe crime, Jordan had appeared to everybody to be a

sensible, rational man. He had served for twenty years,and had stripes for good conduct. After the act, the

prisoner threw the razor on the ground, attempted to runaway, appeared very much agitated, and, questioned as tothe murder, did not deny it, but merely said, " The devilmust have tempted me."For the defence it was shown that the prisoner’s wife had

deserted him two years and a half previously-why was notstated,-and that in consequence he had been mentally de-pressed for a time, and shortly afterwards was in the hos-pital at Woolwich for two months, siiffering from symptomswhich were variously described. 11 Loss of spirits, sleep-lessness, and loss of appetite," were mentioned, and someof the doctors at the time seem to have made a diagnosis,rightly or wrongly, of delirium tremens.One of the prisoner’s commanding officers, who had

found the funds for his defence, and who had seen himwhen in hospital at Woolwich, bad stated shortly after-wards that the prisoner ought not to be sent to an out fort,since he was always melancholy when solitary, and would,under such circumstances, possibly go I melancholy mad.’’He was, however, as stated above, sent to an out-fort, andhe did (as was urged for the defence, and as the jurydecided) go melancholy mad; and out of his temporaryattack of melancholia grew the fearful and sudden impulsewhich led to the commission of the crime.The above case, in which, with the exception of the crime

itself, there are very few evidences of unsoundness of

mind, seems to show that modern views as to insanity are

132

gaining ground, especially as the summing up of the judgewa’! decidedly in favour of the view of the case which wastaken by the jury after a very short deliberation. There is

one fact which did not appear in evidence, but which we arecurious to ascertain-viz., what was the book which the

prisoner was reading just before committing the murder.He seems to have suddenly stopped reading, and to haveproceeded at once to the commission of the crime, and it is,we think, quite possible that some passage in the book may have suggested the murder, or may have recalled some oldgrievance the memory of which for a time overpowered hisreason.

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ANALOCY OF THE EFFECTS OF BITES OFSNAKES AND INCESTION OF POISONOUS

FISH.

IN Brown-Sequard’s Archives de Physiologie (No. 3) Dr.Corre, of Brest, institutes a comparison between the sym-ptoms produced by the inoculation of the poison of venom-ous snakes and those resulting from the ingestion into thestomach of poisonous fishes. The fishes were the tetrodonand the melette of the South Pacific Ocean, the resnlts ofthe use of which as food have been recorded by Drs. deRocbas and Lacroix. The snakes were the trigonocephalusdescribed by Drs. Gnyon, Rnfz, and Encognere, and someothers observed by himself in Martinique. The effects of

the bites of snakes seem to be rendered apparent in the firstinstance by their action on the organs of digestion, indi-cated by intense thirst, pa,in at the epigastrium, nausea,vomiting, and usually constipation. The secretion of urine

is arrested ; cold sweats appear upon the skin. There is

dyspnœa, accompanied sometimes with sero-sanguinolentexpectoration. The action of the heart fails; the nervous

system is strongly affected, the principal symptoms refer-able to it being agitation, stupor, coma, pain, cramps, con-vulsions, and paralysis. Post-mortem examination showsthe gastro-intestinal mucous membrane injpcted with capil-lary ecchymosis, the lungs gorged with blood, the heartsoft, and the blood decomposed. Now, symptoms almostidentical with these have been observed where poisonousfishes have been consumed. It would, therefore, appearthat the poisonous substances present a remarkable analogyin their nature and action. It is curious, however, to ob-serve that they enter the system in two quite differentmethods. In the case of the snake poison, it must be intro-dnced directly into the blood, and is without action whentaken into the stomach ; whilst the opposite obtains in thecase of the poison of poisonous fishes.

MILITIA SURCEONS.

WE are glad to notice that a short statement respectingthe proposed alteration in the emoluments of militia

surgeons by the new Army Regulation Act has been re-

cently put forward. Militia surgeons bold their commis-sions for life under various Acts of Parliament. Their payis derived principally from a capitation allowance for at-tendance on the members of the permanent sta,ff and theirfamilies, and from fees received for the medica,l examina-tion of recruits. It is now proposed to deprive them ofthese, the chief portion of their emoluments, for under theDew Army Regulation Act the services of militia surgeonswill only be required during the period of training. Militia

surgeons hold a recognised official position, and they are toa certain extent dependent on the pay attached to theiroffice, and it, seems to us that they should not be made thevictims of War-office arrangements, no matter how far thepublic may be considered to benefit thereby. It is coutraryto all precedent, as well as opposed to equity, to deprive the

present incumbents of their appointments, for it reallyamounts to this. It is not likely that militia surgeons willleave their homes and give up their private practice, withany hospital or dispensary appointment that. they may hold,to be present at the training or embodiment of their rogi-ments at the new depot centres, for the inadequate stipendthey will receive as pay during training. The Government

ought, in our opinion, to respect the rights of the existingmedical officers, and fill up their places as they becomevacant by death or int’apaoit.y for service; or, if Mr. Card-well be determined on abolishing these appointments, thepresent holders of them should be regarded as entitled tocompensation. This has been always recognised hitherto;the officers of the Court of Chancery whose offices were

abolished in 1842, the holders of appointments in the IrishChurch terminated by the Act of 1870, proctors, andForeign-office clerks, have, one and all, been consideredentitled to recompense for the loss of their posts. Then

why not the militia doctors ?

METROPOLITAN POOR-LAW OFFICERS.

A RETURN of the number of officers employed by themetropolitan guardians in 1867 and 1870 has just been pre-sented. In the course of three years the number of officersemployed rose from 1436 to 1713, and the salaries from.897,180 to .8113,853. The extra, fees (chiefly paid to mP-dical officers) increased from X2307 to £2601. Exclusive ofthe pauper schools, there are at present 180 medical officers, who are paid .822,320 a year as salaries. The most liberalmedical arrangements appear to be made in Hulborn, theCity, MaJ’ylebone, St. George’s, Hanover-square, and St.

Saviour’s ; whilst medical officers seem least numerous andworst paid in Westminster and Whiteohapel. A few me-

dical officers appear to be largely paid by extra fees, and inone or two cases the extras are greater than the salaries.

We have had frequent occasion to point out the injustice of these inequalities. They are unjust to the medical officers, because a few are excessively, and the majorityunderpaid. They are urjnst to the public, as half thesalaries are paid from the Common Poor Fnnd. The Local Government Board is guardian of this fund, and ought totake steps to see that it is fairly spent.

MEDICAL PRACTICE AMONC THE CHINESE.

THE annual report of the Peking Hospital for 1871, inconnexion with the London Missionary Society, affordssome interesting details, by Dr. Dudgeon, of the practicesand superstitions of the Celestials, who certainly appear tobe a "peculiar people." The youngest son of a mandarin

’

was cured of a bad burn at the hospital, and while the ladwas undergoing treatment, diphtheria, which prevailedin the spring in that part of China, attacked a member ofthe mandarin’s family. Prompt measures saved the patientin this case also. The father made a donation to the fundsof the hospital. This was the first Chinese donation in

money that had been received, the usual plan being to com-memorate a recovery by erecting a tablet, but there was,fortunately, no more space in the hospital for tablets. Hadour Chancellor of the Exchequer held a similar position inChina he would have been saved some loss of reputation inregard to his proposed tax on lucifer matches, for these arebelieved by the Chinese to be the cause of diphtheria,and in all families where this disease is dreaded these

foreign articles are strictly excluded. The Chinese phy-sicians use acupuncture for the treatment of every disease,and Dr. Dudgeon rnentions the case of a man with chronicthickening of the pyloric end of the stomach and smalllobe of the liver, the result of acupuncture. This mode of

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treatment is, however, now wisely forbidden on the personof the emperor. The Chinese doctrine of the pulse fre-quently gives occasion to the perpetration of jokes upon theFaculty. Most ridiculous mistakes are often made betweenthe sexes, and married and unmarried females. An or-

dinary ,;oke is for a literary person, with delicate ha,nds andlong nails, to simulate a, woman. The doctor is called in,the would-be patient thrusts his hand from behind a cur-tain or screen, as the manner is when women are attended

professionally, and his pulse is most attentively examinedat both wrists. All the circumstances of the family areduly considered, and the doctor, knowing how highly sonsare esteemed, declares his patient pregnant with a boy.

WORKHOUSE SUPPLIES IN LONDON.

AT length the returns as to the supply of provisions andextras in workhouses, to which we have so often incidentallyalluded, have been presented to the House of Commons.The guardians are told part of the truth. They are in-formed that the food-supplies are often of the most dis-graceful kind; that the wine, brandy, and other extras

given to the sick are totally unfit for human consumption :and there is irrefragable proof that quality is often madeto give way to price. But, bad as are the revelations madein this report, we much doubt if Mr. Stansfeld has obtainedthe whole truth. What is the relation between the con-tractors and the guardians, and between the contractorsand the masters of workhouses ? P Mr. Rowsell had perhapsenough to do with the samples and the prices, but if hehad extended his inquiries he might have discovered thatcertain tradesmen give dinners to their friends just beforethe determination of the contracts, and if he could nothave traced the relation of cause and effect, he might haveobserved that the contracts follow the repasts. Nor is itwonderful to find that the underpaid masters of work-

houses, who have the responsibility of rejecting or admittingfood worth millions in a year, should occasionally yield tothe temptation of admitting bad butter for good, lean meatfor fat., skimmed milk for new milk, and diluted spiritsfor brandy of the best. We should also like to have hearda more particular account of the curious transformationswhich take place in some articles as they pass through theworkhouse door. How much pauper gin, for example, isconverted into sherry not to be consumed by paupers ; bowmuch logwood is converted into genuine old port which thesick will never taste; how many lean joints are by somemagic hand converted into chickens and ducks, which fly ’,away in a mysterious direction, but never towards the

wards. The guardians have bad a taste of real inspection ;let them be warned in time, for assuredly the ratepayersof the metropolis will look to Mr. Stansfeld to secure infuture better necessaries for the sick poor and greater wis-dom in the expenditure of rates.

MR. JOHN HAMILTON’S TITLES.

WE refer to this very unimportant matter again in orderto correct an impression which might be made by the state-ment of the defendant’s attorney that THE LANCET wastotally opposed to Mr. Knox’s recent judgment againstHamilton for using the title 11 Dr.," on the strength of a

diploma alleged to have been received from the MetropolitanCollege of Surgeons of New York. It was given in evidencein the trial before Mr. Knox that tuis body did not nowexist, that it only had lived twelve months, that the stand-ards were low when it did exist, and that the diplomas hadbeen freely offered for sale. It was not likely that weshould disapprove of a judgment which refused to recognisethe power of such a body to grant the title of ’° Dr." Our l

words were: "In this view of the case"-that is, com-paring it with the American University of Philadelphia,whose diplomas have recently been refused recognition bythe Court of Qneen’s Bench—"the decision of Mr. Knoxwould give unqualified satisfaction to the profession, andought to give satisfaction to the public, who are deceivedon a l;rge scale by the holders of such wares." It is too

bad, after this, to be quoted in the Court as disa.greeingwith Mr. Knox’s judgment of the value of the so-calleddiploma. We must again further enter our solemn protestagainst the language of Mr. Mansfield as to the title of" Dr." being within the right of everyone who likes to useit. It is marvellous to hear a respectable lawyer speak so.The title of M.D. which Mr. Hamilton was summoned for

using can only attach to a degree in medicine from auniversity, and the use of it illegally is specially pro-vided against by the Medical Act. If Mr. Mansfield’s

judgment be persisted in or confirmed by a stipei-ior court,we shall have the country overrun with "dmctors" of a.

kind that would be very dangerous to the public. We arenot clear about the illegality of a man calling himself ex-plicitly Member of the Metropolitan College of New York,or about the soundness of Mr. Knox’s opinion that it is abreach of the Medical Act for unregistered medical men, evenif possessed of registerable qualifications, to use the titlesattaching to them; but as to the illegality of John Hamil-ton using the titles "M.D., Surgeon" in England, on thestrength of a diploma from a defunct American body, thereshould be no uncertain sound from any magistrate or court.

IN D I A.

CHOLERA has prevailed in a number of places in India.during the present year, although it has not assumed epi-demic proportions. There have been upwards of fifty casesof that disease among the European troops serving in theBengal Presidency. A regiment at Cawnpore has lost

several cases, and cholera bad appeared at Mhow andSealkote. But the chief source of illness appears to havebeen " dengue fever," which has spread far and wide.

Happily, it does not kill people, but it is a very painfulaffection. The season in India is generally regarded as anunhealthy one, as far as fever and "dengue" are con-

cerned. The heat must have been something intolerable,for at Secunderabad the thermometer is said to have reached107° in the shade, and for fifteen days not to have fallenbelow 103°. It is needless to add that ali who are fortu-nate enough to have the power of doing so have takenrefuge in the hills. ____

THE MUSCLES OF THE KIDNEY.

PROF. EBERTH, in a recent communication to the Central-blatt, observes that Remak is the only author who hasdescribed the presence of smooth muscular fibre cells in therenal capsule of the ox, sheep, and the amphisbaena. Hehimself some time ago showed that such fibre cells were not

very widely distributed, since they are absent in man, thecat, pigeon, and tortoise. Recent writers, as Arnold inStricker’s " Manual of Histology," make no mention of thepresence of smooth muscular fibre cells, either in the

capsule or in the stroma of the kidney. Henie and Ludwigboth regard the stroma and capsule as essentially composedof fibrillar, connective and elastic tissue; the former re-

ferring such muscular fibre cells as come into view on

breaking up the tissues to the vessels. Eberth states thabhe can demonstrate the presence of a wide-meshed plexusof smooth muscular fibres, the diameter of the fasciculi ofwhich is about equal to that of the larger superficial veins.

These fasciculi are in no way connected with the muscula-ture of the vessels, though they often run in close con-

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tiguity to the vessels. Small processes of these muscular

bundles may be traced into the cortex of the kidney, butthey always remain quite superficial. Eberth has beenunable to discover any fasciculi in the stroma of the kidneys.The fasciculi are most easily demonstrated in kidneys thathave been hardened in alcohol, and from which suptrficitlsections have then been made. The individual cells are

fusiform, of various length, with dull homogeneous contents,and readily isolable with acetic acid and solution of potash. This musuular plexus is absent in ox, sheep, and pig. Its !existence a,ff,)rds a ready explanation of many myo-sarcomataof the kidneys. ____

MEDICAL RELIEF IN THE TAVISTOCK UNION.

THE proceedings of the guardians of this union havefrequently been commented on by us; their recent action,however, in regard to their district medical relief arrange-ments is so much at variance with what ought to prevailthat we feel we owe our readers no apology in referring to it’

It would appear that in the early part of the last quarterthe medical officer of the Lewtrenchard district, the popu-lation of which is 1880, on an area of 12,170 acres, resignedhis appoiutment; the vacant office was duly advertised,when it happened that no candidate appeared-a circum-stance not very surprising, when we state that the salary,sans extras, was only £25, out of which medicines bad to

be supplied. Disappointed in getting an applicant, theguardians perforce were compelled to treat their sick

paupers as so many private patients, the bill for whom,just sent in, amounted for eleven weeks to X30 8s. In

their dire extremity they applied to the Local GovernmentBoard for assistance, when it was suggested, whether bythe Board above or the one below does not appear, that thedistrict should be added to that of a neighbouring medicalofficer, who holds an appointment not only in the Tavis-tock, but also in the Launceston Union, the aggregate areaof which will be vastly in excess of the limit laid down yearsago in the general orders of the Poor-law Board, and that,too, in spite of the fact that the former incumbent, wholives in the centre of the district, offered to resume duty ifhis stipend were advanced.;98 only.Now, we do not suppose that either Mr. Stansfeld or Mr.

Hibbert, engaged as they must have been in preparing thePublic Health Bill, is in the least responsible for thistransaction. If their attention has been drawn to it in anyway, so as to secure their official sanction, it has doubtlessbeen on the misrepresentations of one of the subordinatesat Whitehall, who has availed himself of the opportunityafforded by the varied engagements of his chiefs to ex-

hibit his ignorance of the value of efficient medical relief tothe sick poor, and his contempt for the service that attendsthem.

It would be an advantage to the public if some inde-pendent member would put a question to Mr. Stansfeld,and move for the correspondence which has taken place.

CAUTION TO NURSEMAIDS.

Corrcusszorr of the spine is a subject which just nowoccupies a full share of the attention of the medical world,and one form of it, under the name of "railway spine," fre-quently forms the subject of discussion in this and otherjournals. We feel sure, though it is a matter scarcelysusceptible of rigid proof,. that" perambulator spine"must be at least as common as its fellow of the railways.How many times have we watched Tilly Slowboy, whilewheeling a perambulator containing a limp baby of a verytender age, proceed to cross the road in the most injudiciousmanner. Theoretically, of course, tbe..front, wheel ought:

first to be lowered carefully off the kerb-stone on to the road-way, which is often a full foot beneath it, and then, thefront wheel being lowered, the bind wheels ought to becarefully lifted after it, and the transference of the babythus effected entirely without any jerk, and without anyconcussion of the spinal column. The ordinary samplesof the genus nursemaid perform this operation in a mannertotally at variance with the advice tendered above. Thefront wheel is lifted off the ground, and the perambulatorbeing tilted backwards is deliberately shoved over the littleprecipice before it, and alights below with a tremendousconcussion, not only trying the springs of the little carriage,but giving the baby a jerk which keeps its head bobbing upand down for some seconds. We have freqneutly seenbabies burst out crying after the concussion, which mustbe most injurious to them, and must be freqnently the

cause, repeated as it is many times da,i’y, of inducing cariesof the spine, or at all events of fosteriug the tendency tothat crippling and often fatal disease ill those who are con-stitutionally predisposed towards it. We shall be curiousto hear the experience of surgeons on this point, and weadvise our readers to caution mothers as to the evils which

may thus arize from the carelessness of those to whom their

offspring are entrusted. ____

CONSTANT WATER-SUPPLY FOR THEMETROPOLIS.

THE Commission on the "fittings" required for theconstant supply of water in the metropolis have hadseveral sittings, and heard evidence produced by the

companies and the Metropolitan B >ard of Works. Weare glad to know that the interests of the public havebeen well looked after by the Board. The demands ofthe companies were most unreasonable and exorbitant, andone witness proved that if the kind of lead piping proposedby the companies had been considered necessary, the ex-

, penditure would reach the large sum of nine millions sterling,or probably sufficient to furnish the metropolis with an

entirely fresh supply. The Commission have paid a visitto the East-end of London, where alone the East LondonWater Company give a really constant service. We mayhope, therefore, that the proposals of the companies, whichamounted to a virtual postponement of constant service toan indefinite future, mill be modified so as to bring theconstant supply within the reach of every district. It can

scarcely be denied that the result of the inquiry has beento demonstrate the folly of leaving the supply of this firstnecessary of life in the hands of interested parties, and ifthe Corporation of the City of London desire to add anotherclaim to the public gratitude they will take immediate

steps to purchase all the existing companies, and take thewater-supply of the whole metropolis into their own hands.

THE HEALTH OF EDINBURCH.

A STATEMENT has been made in the House of Lords byLord Kinnaird that the sanitary condition of Edinburgh isso alarming that the Life Assurance Companies were con-sidering the expediency of raising their rates in that city.Life Assurance premiums are, however, usually calculatedupon a basis which leaves a pretty good margin for excep-tional mortality, and we are not surprised to find that somuch of Lord Kinnaird’s statement as referred to the in-

surance rates has been denied. But that the mortalityduring the greater part of the present year has been exces-sive cannot be questioned for a moment. In the years 1867and 1868 the death-rate averaged 25 per 1000; in 1869 itwas 27-6 in 1870 it was 24; and in 1871 it was 26-9.

During the first five months of this year the rate averaged34, and the Scotch Registrar-General’s monthly returns

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show that this high rate was due to the great prevalence ofdiseases of the zymotic clause, notably of sirall-pox andscarlatina. In the month of June the mortality fell to 24per 1000, with the same two diseases continuing more than,ordinarily fatal. In the last three weeks there has been a

further decline, and the rate has been lower than in Lon-

don. Fluctuations of this kind would seem to show that,while Mr. W. T. Thompson ma.y be right in attributingmuch of the unhealthiness of Edinburgh to intramuralburials, there must be other causes which the authoritiesshould strenuously endeavour to discover.

VENTILATION OF CHURCHES.

WE remarked about this time last year on the wantof care exhibited in the ventilation of places designed forpublic worship, in the metropolis and the provinces alike,and have to recur to the subject, because, according to ourbelief, it influences the health of both children and adultsin a very marked degree. But we would emphasize moreespecially the unsatisfactory condition of the former class,inasmuch as they are, as it were, forced into the observanceof religious forms and ceremonies, irrespective of inclina-

tion, and without regard to consequences. It is notorious thatthe windows of churches, chapels, and schools are, as tonumber and situation, few and far between; that, when thebuildings are occupied, moisture bedews the interior sur-face of the glass; and that doors are opened to neutralisethe evil, which is of course an absurd and dangerous pro-ceeding, as the area of the inlets exceeds that of the out-lets to a very considerable extent. The multitude per-spire, but eventually catch cold, and find food for thedoctors for many months to come. We are told on goodauthority that many ecclesiastics object to ventilation,because, according to their own theory, "it destroys thevoice:’ vVe do not at all subscribe to the doctrine, butunder any circumstances protest against the principle thatat present appears to prevail, of making religion a vehiclefor the exhibition of hygienic arrangements that must, tosay the least of it, influence most unfavourably the risinggeneration. ____

THE LAMBETH POTTERIES.

A SPECIAL report has been made by Dr. M’Cormack, theLambeth medical officer of health, upon the alleged injurycaused to the neighbourhood by the smokf and vapours fromthe potteries there. The vapour emitted is said to be by-drochloric acid, which Dr. M’Cormack does not think preju-dicial or injurious to health when diffused, as in this case.He admits that it is fatal to vegetable life, and destructiveto the stone of which the Archbishop’s palace is built, buthe is of opinion that a lengthened and careful investigationshould be made before any action is taken on this latter

ground. As regards the general question, he sta’es thatthe heads of the pottery firms have expressed their readi-ness to adopt any practical suggestions that may be offeredfor getting rid of the vapours complained of ; and as he isnot prepared to advise the vestry to embark on a crusadeagainst every trade or manufacture which is obnoxious tosomebody or other, his opinion is that the potteries do notconstitute a nuisance sufficiently prejudicial to health towarrant the interference of the vestry. The discussionwhich ensued on the reading of this report showed prettyclearly that a strong feeling prevailed to have the matterfurther inquired into, and this is very much our own view.Either the vapours are hurtful or they are not; if they are,that is surely susceptible of proof, and in such case thepotters must find a way of carrying on their business in-offensively or they must go elsewhere.

DR. LIVINGSTONE.

MR. STANLEY, the New York journalists, to whose intre-pidity aud perseverance we owe the discovery of Dr.

Livingstone, arrived at Marseilles early on Wednesdaymorning, and immediately visited a correspondent of theDaily Telegraph, the latter, in the course of the day, for-warding a long letter to his journal by submarine telegraph.Mr. Stanley is the custodian of numerous despatches andletters to relat.ives and friends, while the account he gaveof the brave old man’s difficulties and hairbreadth ’scapeswas most touching.Mr. Stanley sojourned four months with Dr. Livingstone,

and doubtless the great traveller must have been mightilyentertained and surprised by the former’s description of themomentous events which had taken place in Europe at thetime when he was toiling manfully in his good work,although at times sick even nigh unto death.

Dr. Livingstone has now sufficient provisions to last himthree years, but we again give expression to a hope that hemay soon return, and leave the work to younger men.With regard to the allegeo. remissness of Dr. Kirk in for-

warding supplies from Zanzibar, we would beg our readersto suspend their judgment until they are in possession ofthe whole facts and features of the supposed dereliction.Meanwhile we give Mr. Stanley a hearty welcome to London,and, Desdemona-like, claim for him a meed of sympathyand admiration for the dangers he has gone through.

THE MEDICAL CHARITABLE SOCIETY OFTHE WEST RIDING.

WE learn from the Harrogate Advertiser that the annualdinner of the above excellent society was held at Harrogatelast week, and that a large number of the leading phy-sicians and surgeons of the West Riding were assembled onthe occasion. The dinner was held at the Queen Hotel,under the presidency of Dr. Myrtle; and at the businessmeeting X500 was divided between seventeen applicants. ,The Advertiser good-humouredly rallies the profession

upon the excellence and abundance of the meats and drinksthat were consumed on the occasion, and upon the total

disregard by doctors of their own dietetic rules. We mightbe content to reply-‘ They that are -whole need not a.

physician." But we may go further, and make public acurious fact. A good many medical dinners are held inLondon during the year, under the management of ex-perienced caterers. These dinners show that medical mentake less wine on such occasions than any other diningclass-e.g., less than barristers, or clergymen, or officers, ormerchants. ·A caterer accustomed to medical dinners takesthis into account in estimating his total charge per head;and in dealing with a caterer who has not this special ex-perience, the managers of a medical dinner find their

account in paying per head for the solids only, and for thequantity of wine that is actually druuk. Doctors are often

merry, but they know how to be merry and wise.

DEATH FROM THE STtNC OF A BEE.

ON the 19th inst., Miss Elizabeth Hough, of Twickenham,aged fifty-five, was stung by a bee behind the ear. Shortlyafterwards she became unconscious, and died before thedoctor who was sent for arrived. The brother of the de-ceased stated at the inquest that she was of a delicate andnervous constitution. In the autumn of 1870 she was stungby a bee, and the consequences were very peculiar. Shebecame unconscious, and remained in that state for twohours. It is well known that many people endure far

greater sufferings than others when stung by bees or other

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insects, and cases in which serious consequences have

ensued are recorded. Beck, in his work on Medical Juris-

prudence, quotes a case where a sting on the back of thefinger was quickly followed by ,vomiting, sweating, trem-bling, and great difficulty of breathing."

Dr. Ta,nner quotes a case from the American Journal ofMedical Sciences, of a man who suffered very seriously in themonth of August, 1819, from the single sting of a bee, andwho being stung a second time (on the temple) in the fol-lowing year, died from the effects thereof within ten

minutes. Two or three other cases of fatal result are

quoted by the same author, but happily such an occurrenceis exceedingly rare. The advice given by the coroner, Dr.Diplock, to "give stimulants freely" in such cases, is un-

doubtedly founded on sound principles, the immediate causeof death being apparently failure of the heart’s action.

TESTS FOR QUININE AND MORPHIA IN THESAME FLUID.

A RECENT number of the Pharmaceutical Journal containsa translation of an important paper by Professor Fliiekilgeron the Tests for Quinine and Morphia when contained inthe same fluid. The most characteristic test for quinineis the formation of the green compound called thalleioquine,which is produced if solutions of the alkaloid or of its saltsare mixed with chlorine water and then a drop of ammoniais added. Morphia treated in the same way shows ared hue, very quickly turning dark brown. The green colourwith quinine appears when there is not more than 1/5000of the alkaloid in solution. The brown colour with morphiarequires that at least 1/1000 of that alkaloid should be con-tained in the fluid. But Prof. Fluckiger points out that thetest for quinine fails if there be more than 1/1000 of mor-phia present, even if the quinine be in considerable

quantity ; the green colour of the latter being concealed bythe dark dingy-brown colour of the morphia test. Prof.

Fiuckiger recommends, in the first place, that the one testwith chlorine and ammonia should not be alone relied upon,but that the nitric or iodic acid tests for morphia shouldalways be tried; and, in the second placa, his experimentshave shown that in very dilute solutions of quinine, bro-mine vapour brings out the green tint much better thanchlorine.

____

THE " BUZZER" NUISANCE ACAIN.

WE had thought that it was only in the industrial wildsof Yorkshire that manufacturers so ventured to put theneighbourhood at defiance as to keep up a fugue of buzzers,torturing to the tympanum, fatal to the sleep, and disas-trous to the health, of all within earshot. But here, inLondon, the "head-quarters of civilisation," the foul-

tongued nuisance has forced itself, and, of all places in theworld, among the academic shades of Gower-street! Stillmore strange, the introducer of this discord is a local piano-forte maker, who has imported from Yorkshire a genuine" devil-screamer" for the purpose of rousing or recalling hismen to their work. A gentleman waited on Mr. Vaughanthe other day at Bow-street representing a numerouslysigned remonstrance against this engine of cruelty, which,it seems, commences operation at six in the morning, andkeeps the "vexed vicinage" in torture at intervals duringthe day. The complainant assured his worship that thenoise was such that people in infirm health were subjectedby it to intolerable suffering, and that he himself had beenforced to send away an invalid daughter to a quieter quarterof the town. Mr. Vaughan’s reply was to the effect that hehad no power to interfere, and that the aggrieved partiesmust either prefer an indictment against the pianoforte

maker or apply for an injunction in the Court of Chancery.Ha,ppily a special clause has been introduced into thePublic Health Bill which will supersede the irksome neces-sity of adopting the magistrate’s suggest,ion, hy making itas illegal to keep up a foul noise as it has hitherto been to

keep up a foul smell. ____

OBSTETRIC DIFFICULTIES IN VICTORIA.

SOME months ago a Mr. W. H. Jackson, having a Dublinqualification, and practising in Victoria, was tried and foundguilty of manslaughter in having caused the death of achild during parturition. The burden of the charge againsthim was that, instead of using the ordinary craniotomyinstruments, he had used an auger, a gimlet, a cbisel, anda book made of fencing wire-rough instruments certainly,but showing a considerable amount of inventive ingenuityin the operator. At a recent meeting of the Mpdieal Societyof Victoria the case was brought before a committee speciallyappointed for the purpose of reporting upon it, when it wasunanimously agreed that, taking into consideration the

peculiar circumstances of the case (wh:ch we presume tomean that orthodox instruments were not available), andthat no injury occurred to the woman, no imputation ofprofessional incompetency rested upon Mr. J,wkson; andit was further resolved that a deputation should wait uponthe Solicitor-General in order to explain the case to him.We trust that the legal functionary mentioned will see thematter in a new light. ____

THE LADY MEDICAL STUDENTS.

THE case of the ladies who wish to graduate in medicineat the University of Edinburgh has been argued beforeLord Gifford for two days, in the Court of Session of that

city. We learn from the report in the Scotsman that thecounsel for the pursuers cited the cases of many learnedladies who at various times had graduated in various

places; and that the counsel for the defenders (the Senatusof the University) contended that his clients bad no powerto do that which was asked of them. Finally we are toldthat his lordship made avizandum of the case. We wouldnot be so presumptuous as to declare positively what thismeans, but we presume it is that, like Captain Cuttle, hetook a note of the matter, and will give his decision onsome future day. ____

A DAY IN THE COUNTRY.

THOSE who have to prescribe for London children of thepoorer classes have a very peculiar pleasure in noticing theextent to which the public are subscribing to enable thechildren of various schools to go for one day at least intothe country. The pleasure of such a holiday is very great,and the physical advantage of it is almost equally so. We

heartily commend this object to the consideration of thosewho have money to spare, and the prospect of a fortnightor a month in the country for themselves. Their pleasurewill be greatly enhanced if they can send half-a-dozenchildren for a day into the country, out of the close air ofLondon homes and London streets.

THE cattle-plague has broken out in the Deptford yards,and the reply of Mr. Forster to a question put by SirSelwin-Ibbetson in the House, some few days ago, is by nomeans reassnring. For that reply appeared to indicatethat sufficient care was not taken in the process of shipdisinfection, or that the Government has not sufficient powerto put the process into practice. It is most important that

I a thoroughly capable and efficient representative from GreatBritain shuuld attend the International Veterinary Con-

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gress, in order that we may have the benefit of experiencesgleaned on a subject so intimately connected with thefood-supply of the kingdom.

A THIRD Free Medical Scholarship of Epsom College wasawarded on Founder’s Day, Jnly 18th, to Ernest SuttonSmith, a Foundationer, who obtained a First Class at therecent matriculation, University of London. A " Carr Ex-

hibition" of £50, tenable for four years, accompanies this;the endowment fund being raised by Dr. Carr, of Blackheath.Mr. Smith will proceed to University College in Octobernext.

____

THE Greenwich Hospital Estimates, just issued, indicatea large comparative increase in the amount to be expendedfor the Naval School. But we are glad to know that Mr.Goschen has taken the claims of our merchant seameninto favourable consideration, and that some part of thehospital funds will be utilised in the purchase of annuitiesfor their benefit.

____

MEDICAL SCIENCE among the native Hindoos receivesconstant encouragement from head-quarters, one of thelatest acts of the Viceroy being the bestowal of the titleof Rai Bahadur on Babu Kanai’ Lal De, lecturer on Che-mistry and Medical Jurisprudence in the Medical Collegeat Calcutta, in consideration of the Babu’s valuable ser-vices to the physician’s art in India.

THE extensive works for the drainage and utilisation ofthe sewage of Windsor Castle and Frogmore House arenow in progress, and are expected to be completed beforethe return of Her Majesty in the winter. The site selected

for the reception of the sewage is upon the Ham, at OldWindsor, and a field of several acres near the old course ofthe Thames.

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DR. ANDREW WOOD has finished the translation of the

Epistles and of the Art of Poetry of Horace. He findssnffcient reward and great recreation in the work of trans-lating, but we believe that be will soon send his work tothe press, and submit it to the criticism of the public, ashe did with his translation of the Satires two years ago.

A MASTER has been fined at Chesterfield for sending hisservant home partly by railway and partly on foot, whileill with small-pox. The fine and costs amounted to

.82 16s. This should serve as a warning to people againstbeing too selfish in disposing of their servants with in-fectious disease.

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THE twenty-sixth report of the Lunacy Commissionersjust issued shows that on the lst January last the numberof lunatics, idiots, and persons of unsound mind in Englandand Wales amounted to 58,64.0.

LORD PORTSMOUTH has expressed his intention of be-

stowing his valuable manuscripts of Sir Isaac Newton uponthe University of Cambridge.

THE first meeting of the London Committee of the

Harvey Tercentenary Memorial will be held on Mondaynext, at 5 P.M., at the Royal College of Physicians.

CASES of cholera are appearing in Calcutta, and the townis still suffering severely from dengue.

OFFICIAL returns of cholera at St. Petersburg up to the19th July are as follows :-Cases, 819; deaths, 339.

THE foot-and-mouth disease is spreading in Berkshire, I,and in some parts of the county is virulent.

THE meeting’ of the Medico-Psychologica.! Association at Edinburgh promises to be of unusuvl interest. Paperswill he read by Dr. Lockhart Robertson, Dr. Rogers, andDr. Boyd. Sir Jumes Coxe, the president elect, will enter-tain the Association at dinner on the 30Lh inst.

LAST week the mortality in London and twenty otherlarge towns in the lcinndom was at the rate of 23 deathsannually to every 1000 of the population. In the me-

tropolis 258 deaths were due to diarrhoea, and 29 to small-

pox. ____

MRS. LOUISA ATKJNS, M.D. of Zurich, has been appointedresident medical officer and secretary to the Birminghamand Midland Hospital for Women.

DR. E. J. TILT has been made a Corresponding Fellow ofthe New York Academy of Medicine.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS.

A MEETING of the College was held on Thursday. Aftersome preliminary business, the College proceeded to theelection of Fellows. As the result of the voting the Pre-sident declared the following gentlemen elected-viz., Dr.Brewer, M.P.; Dr. E. Ballard; Dr. Heslop (Birmingham) ;Dr. Begley (Hanwell) ; Sir John Rose Cormack (Paris); Dr. Tetley (Torquay) ; Dr. Madden (Torquay) ; Dr. E. C.Seaton; Dr. Mackay (Admiralty); Dr.Fa.yrer (Calcutta,);Dr. Ca,yley; Dr. Murray (Newcastle); Dr. J. A. Lush,M P. (Salisbury); Dr. Liveing; and Dr. W. H. Robertson(Buxton).

Dr. Risdon Bennett was then re-elected to represent theCollege in the General Medical Council

I The following gentlemen were elected representatives onthe Committee of Reference for an Examining Board forEngland-viz., Dr. Pitman, Dr. Risdon Bennett, Dr. West,and Dr. Barclay.The officers of the College were next chosen, the choice

of the Fellows falling upon Sir William Gull, Bart., andDrs. Sibson, Munk, and Fincham, as the Censors.Dr. Quain introduced his motion to which we have made

full reference before. He submitted that the recommenda-tions of the Conjoint Committee should be taken into con-sideration by the College.

Dr. Pavy seconded the motion, which was supported byDr. Lionel Beale and Dr. Anstie.

Dr. Risdon Bennett explained that the recommendationswere only suggestions to guide the Committee of Refer-ence, and they must, before they become actual "regula-tions," be submitted to the College. He objected to severalthings in the recommendations.

Dr. Pitman moved an amendment to the eff?et that nofurther steps be taken by the College until the Committeeof Reference have agreed to submit regulations to thevarious examining bodies.This amendment was carried.

CHARING-CROSS HOSPITAL.

ON Friday, the 19th instant, the annual distribution ofmedals and prizes to the students of this School of Medi-cine took place in the board-room of the hospital. The

chair was occupied by Robert Few, Esq., one of the oldestand most liberal supporters of the institution. There was

a full attendance of the medical staff, as well as of studentsand their friends.The proceedings were commenced by Dr. Pollock, the

Dean of the School, who, in his address, referred to the

past year as one of the most important in the history ofthe hospital and school. During that pmiod they had seenthe new staircase completed, the hall much enlarged, and

) the entrance made worthy of the other improvements. Thenew school buildings had also justified expectations, and heventured to say that in no kindred institution would a